I began this web site in 2011, and I can’t bear in mind a extra unstable time to be a marketer or run a web-based enterprise. Take into account the next…
1. Platform Instability.
We haven’t seen something like what we’re seeing proper now. Merely think about every thing that has occurred through the previous couple of years, with most of it occurring proper now:
- Elon Musk dares customers and advertisers to depart Twitter/X
- Meta launches Threads
- Mark Zuckerberg does his finest Musk impersonation with Meta
- TikTok on the verge of an precise ban within the US
That is loopy. Simply through the previous yr alone, think about the entire migration that has occurred and can occur. Customers left Twitter/X for Threads and BlueSky. Customers are leaving Meta for [?]. Customers migrating from TikTok to [?].
Talking for myself, it wasn’t tough to depart Twitter. However now we’re in a spot the place there are few good options. The whole lot both feels corrupted, probably corrupted, or within the early levels earlier than that corruption occurs.
There’s going to be quite a lot of leaping round through the subsequent few months, and will probably be fascinating to see the place folks fall and whether or not any new mainstream (and secure) options come up.
2. Distribution Instability.
This began a decade in the past with Fb’s information feed algorithm impacting outgoing visitors. Fb was as soon as a goldmine for natural visitors, however now it drives a fraction of what it as soon as did.
Lengthy-form self-hosted blogs gave technique to short-form social media textual content posts. Fb most well-liked hyperlinks till it didn’t. Lengthy-form video was king on YouTube earlier than TikTok and Shorts arrived. Then Meta copied TikTok and featured Reels all over the place.
Distribution of content material has been a ache level on each platform. Algorithms change. Creators are unable to succeed in their followers — or they’re unable to succeed in a brand new viewers. The ebbs and flows and migrations of every platform drive uncertainty.
3. AI-Associated Instability.
This, on high of every thing else, is an excessive amount of. Now human creators are competing with AI creators. Or they’re battling AI-generated remark spam. Google and different serps have gotten AI reply engines, which impacts natural search referrals. Web sites are revealed in a single day with fully AI-generated content material.
It’s chaos. I’ve definitely been in the midst of it. Whereas I wouldn’t declare to have the clear, definitive answer, I can share how I’m addressing it.
Right here’s what I’m doing…
Platform Variety
For years, we’ve heard that “You possibly can’t be all over the place.” Whereas true — and I echoed this recommendation — specializing in one or two platforms was fairly clearly a harmful recreation.
As talked about, I performed this harmful recreation myself. When it got here to establishing a social media dwelling base, I spent most of my time on Fb. I largely ignored each different platform. It wasn’t till 2022, after I began to pay for this resolution, that I shifted that method.
The suggestion that “you possibly can’t be all over the place” is partly true and means properly. Not each enterprise has the sources to commit the time to ascertain an optimum presence on each platform — or many of the vital ones.
However that sort of misses the purpose. You possibly can nonetheless “be all over the place” whereas specializing in one or two.
Now that just about each platform helps short-form video, it made for an simple distribution technique. Each video I create goes to the next platforms:
I method the LinkedIn movies considerably otherwise, since I’ll add extra written commentary. However in any other case, I’m repurposing the identical video all over the place.
Is that ultimate? No. The best state of affairs could be to have the devoted sources to create distinctive content material and spend the time to construct a presence on every platform.
However I can’t do this. I received’t do this. And sharing the identical content material all over the place is best than the choice of focusing fully on one and placing all of my threat in that platform.
I constructed my TikTok presence from nothing to 35,000 followers in about two years. However I’m by no means involved about shedding that. If TikTok is banned, these folks must go someplace. My most loyal followers will discover me elsewhere.
When you can create distinctive content material on a number of platforms, nice. However the backside line is that platform variety protects you in occasions of instability (like at the moment).
Discover the platform or two the place you wish to dedicate probably the most time connecting and constructing relationships. In any other case, do what you possibly can, however create a presence in as many locations as you possibly can. Discover a technique to do it as effectively and successfully as potential.
Media and Content material Variety
My enterprise was birthed by my weblog. I wrote content material, which attracted readers and subscribers. It created a possibility to promote my very own merchandise.
I’d experiment with a podcast and long-form video, however it was crystal clear that my enterprise was blog-first through the first 10 years. The reality is I leaned too closely into one type of content material, which was a nasty threat.
That grew to become inconceivable to disregard when my enterprise was spiraling in 2022. Fb was not producing the natural clicks that it as soon as did. Natural search referrals from Google slowly dropped from as a lot as 10,000 per day to beneath 1,000.
It was a painful lesson, however I dedicated myself to short-form video in late 2022. After publishing no less than one video each day of 2023 and most of 2024, I’m centered on three per week in 2025.
I’ve established myself with short-form video now, so that enables me to raised diversify the varieties of content material I create. I proceed to put in writing a weblog submit each week, along with three quick posts that function my movies. And now I’m bringing again my podcast, however at a dedication stage that’s practical.
Not everybody reads blogs. Not everybody consumes short-form video. Not everybody listens to podcasts. But when I create a bit of of all three, I’ve a greater likelihood of reaching a extra various viewers.
Distribution Management
One other well-liked piece of recommendation is “Don’t construct your home on rented land.” Whereas I do imagine that this recommendation is overly simplistic (and we lease quite a lot of the stuff our home is constructed on), the underlying level of possession is legitimate.
A main — if not the one — cause I nonetheless have a enterprise is due to what I personal or largely personal. This web site and my e-mail listing have at all times been the engine that drive my enterprise. It now will get extra assist than it as soon as did from different distribution channels.
Whereas my e-mail listing has at all times performed a key half, I’m way more intentional and strategic now in 2025. I despatched extra visitors to my web site from e-mail in 2024 than I had in any yr since 2017. That was performed whereas sending far fewer emails in whole quantity — however extra to those that have been most engaged.
I’m tweaking that method in 2025 to present my subscribers extra management of e-mail frequency whereas creating extra alternatives to leverage e-mail for cross promotions.
Following are the first methods you could subscribe to my content material:
With this method, you’re going to get precisely what you subscribe to and little or no else. The second half of emails will generally be devoted to cross-promotion of subscriptions and paid merchandise like my non-public membership and one-on-ones.
Whereas this will likely no less than quickly damage email-driven visitors to my web site, I’m assured that it’s going to end in a extra engaged e-mail listing with much less churn.
AI-Conscious and Curious
We’re in a bizarre place with AI. It’s very simple to be overwhelmed by the rate of change.
You may also get misplaced in attempting to remain on high of all of it — or aiming to make use of AI for every thing. Whereas AI can change people for repetitive duties and be a great complementary software, you possibly can take it too far.
This would possibly partly be my very own artistic resistance to AI content material, however I imagine that there will probably be an adjustment. AI-generated pictures, video, and even written content material is novel now. There are instances when it could possibly have worth. There are others when it’s an enormous annoyance, if not problematic or unlawful (through theft).
I take pleasure in creating content material, and I don’t need AI to interchange that job for my very own course of. However I do use it for brainstorming and a few enhancing duties. I simply wouldn’t think about myself AI-first in any method.
My favourite use of AI proper now’s my chatbot that’s powered by greater than 600 pages of my content material. It grew to become so good and well-liked that I lastly needed to transfer it from free to a members-only profit. Some expressed their displeasure with this resolution, however it was merely turning into too costly. And folks have been utilizing it in methods I by no means would have imagined.
We are able to’t stick our heads within the sand and hope that AI will go away. It received’t. We additionally don’t all have to be AI specialists. Remember and curious.
How is that this related to the present dialogue? AI could possibly assist us with creation and distribution. We simply must steadiness the worth of human vs. AI-generated content material.
Paid Efforts
I hope you didn’t overlook this one. It doesn’t matter how good your natural efforts, you must have some form of paid technique.
For me, that focus has at all times been with Meta promoting (clearly). Not a lot has modified right here, although I’m definitely uneasy about Meta’s most up-to-date choices.
I’d wish to let you know that my present give attention to utilizing adverts for listing constructing is in some way new, however it’s not. Whereas I’ve additionally used adverts for gross sales, high quality visitors, and video engagement, listing constructing has at all times been my finest long-term funding.
Whether or not it’s Meta, Google, podcast adverts, or one thing else, discover a paid distribution channel to speed up your efforts.
Your Flip
How has your method modified to handle these unsure occasions?
Let me know within the feedback under!
